This invention relates to making a book for holding a plurality of compact discs or other products in pockets on pages of the book, and to the method of manufacturing the same.
Compact discs are stored in a wide variety of manners; and there is a need for an improved method of storing the compact discs so that they are protected from being damaged and from damaging foreign material. Also, there is a need for storing and for presenting a series of compact discs on the same subject matter or course of instruction with printed instructions and information relative to the use of the CDs. For music compact discs, it is often desired to provide some printed text explaining the music on the compact disc or providing information about the disc being stored. Compact discs are often intended to be used in a particular sequence or to be stored at a particular location, which allows use of an index to locate quickly the desired compact disc for removal from storage.
Many of common storage devices for compact discs are expensive and rather bulky. There is a need for inexpensive compact disc storage which stores cassettes in a very small storage space. Often storage space is at a premium in retail stores selling the compact disc book or is worth a premium when shipping the compact disc book to a purchaser.
In accordance with the present invention, a compact disc storage book is formed with pages having pockets therein to receive and store products such as compact discs therein. The preferred compact disc storage books have text or indicia on the pages thereof with slits in the pages to form an entrance to a pocket defined between adjacent signature sheets defining one board book page.
In accordance with an important aspect of the invention, the compact disc book is a board book comprised of folded signatures adhered to one another to form a book of board pages which can be opened to allow access to the discs being carried in pockets in the respective board pages. The term xe2x80x9cboard pagesxe2x80x9d is intended to mean thicker pages than the usual thin sheet of a magazine, such as the thick board pages often used for children""s books for very young children. Typically, children""s board books are for children too young to read and carry pictures of animals for the children to identifyxe2x80x94i.e., cartoon books such as Barney or stories such as Dr. Seuss or the like. The thickness of the board book pages provides the strength and stability to support a CD and, preferably, a hard cover is provided to protect the pages and CDs from being damaged or crushed and to avoid contamination by dirt, dust, liquids, etc.
The present invention provides an expandable binder or spine for the book to allow the book to increase in shape as CDs are placed into the board book. Conversely, the size of the board book has a reduced thickness prior to introduction of CDs or after removal of the CDs from the board book.
The board book provides an inexpensive book with printed text and illustrations as well as a decorative cover. For example, if a particular course of instruction is stored on the CDs, the board book cover will have advertising informing the purchaser of the course and materials inside. The individual board pages also carry text and/or illustrations to assist the user in understanding the associated compact disc being stored and also to locate the disc at a specific, associated page for storage after use of the disc.
Preferably, these compact disc board books are made inexpensively using signature folding machines and signature gathering machines, which also apply adhesive in predetermined patterns to cause the signatures to be attached to one another to form the book block, but leaving unadhered pockets to receive a disc between adjacent sheets of a board page. Also, the signature folds at the backbone are not glued together so that the folded portions may expand or contract to provide an accordion-like backbone to allow expansion with insertion of the CDs into the CD pockets. The entry into the pockets is preferably a slit in one sheet that allows the lower portion or half of the CD to be inserted into the pocket while the upper, remaining portion or half of the CD is exposed and is outside of the pocket. The illustrated slit is arcuate with a central, lower point between equally-spaced upper, outer edges of the slit.
In accordance with the preferred method of making the CD books, signature handling equipment is used with the signatures having been printed prior to being folded, and with signatures slit on a die cutting machine. The slit, printed signature is fed into a signature folding machine to make a folded signature. The respective folded signatures are delivered to associated feeders of the gathering machine, which feeds sequentially the respective folded signatures in proper sequence onto a gathering conveyor. The preferred signature gathering machine also has a programmable gluing or adhesive applicator that allows a specific adhesive pattern to be established in order to form the CD pocket and to form the accordion, expandable backbone for the book form. The gathered pages are pressed together to adhere the pages to make the book form. Then, the cover is attached, preferably by adhering the outer sides of the book form pages to adjacent, inner facing sides of a casing or cover. The preferred cover also has an expandable, foldable spine to allow expansion as the CDs are being loaded into the pockets in the board pages, and the backbone of the board book is being expanded. Herein, the illustrated, expandable cover spine is formed by a first and second pair of adjacent, parallel fold lines in the cover. The preferred cover also is of a thick board material, which is thicker than signature board material; and it has an outer, printed signature mounted thereon and adhered thereto to provide a very decorative, outer appearance for assistance in marketing the book to purchasers.